Such a strong word
by Dragon Kin Roan
Summary: A series of mini fics, my take on what Garrus and Tali's friendship, if you could call it that, could have been like in Mass Effect. Starting with the first game and plowing on to the third. Friendship now maybe possible Romance later.
1. ME1 Such a Strong Word

Born from mild irritation and insomnia this fic is potential one of several mini fics.

Firstly I've come across many forums where people complain vividly about the Garrus/Tali pairing. Their arguement is that the interaction between Garrus and Tali is either bickering or all business. I submit that that fact is true - in Mass Effect 1 anyway, I'm just starting to play the second one. My arguement is one; bickering and picking on are often classic signs of affection, respect and or admiration. Two, as far as delving into interactions between Squad Mates that aren't Shepard, Mass Effect 1 has next to none aside from Kaidan and Ashley. And I'm not complaining, I like it that way. It leaves room for fanfiction writers to go have fun with it all! And Three. Crack pairings are fun. Take that skeptics! HA!

Secondly there is a sad amount of Garrus/Tali Friendship and/or romance fics out there. Even if you aren't on the ship for the pairing I've always thought just their friendship could be interesting. More like a competative companionship derived out of respect, admiration and a common goal.

Also I've always felt the Turians and Quarians are very similar. Both are Detro Acid based life forms and their general physical shape is closer two one anothers then it is any other species. Also, both Quarians and Turians have a very very strong sense of their racial wholes. An individual of both races holds the over all future of their race in the highest regards and niether have any qualms risking their life for that. It's not means for a medal of bravery, it does not set them above the rest of their race it just is what they all are expected and want to do.

In that way their personalities are similar. Also both like tech XD

And though this is far more a friendship/rivalry blurb then a romance fic my over view stands strong.

Err all that aside! Please read! And Review! I'd love to hear opinions on any aspect of the story!

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><p><strong>Such a strong word.<strong>

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><p>The crew of the Normandy was a hard working bunch. Some were loud, some were quiet and some were calm while some were wild and some...not so calm. As a whole however, they were hard working, loyal and consistantly without complaints. The last part was note worthy considering they were without port for weeks at a time and thus often without much personal or free time. Any species human or other wise would find these conditions frusterating over time which was precisely why Sheperd developed the habit of shore leave.<p>

Their mission was important, of that there was no doubt, but the Commander knew from experience that his crew would be driven crazy is they were to attempt the impossible without having a break here and there. So, he had decided that, no matter how trying the times, every month would have at least one such time of relaxation. It was never long, usually only a day and a night, but it seemed to be long enough to allow everyone to re-find their sanity and continue on. No one was allowed to refuse, no one was allowed to stay behind, everyone was to be involved. If they had no personal issues to take care of they would do what he did - hole up in a club.

This particular leave began as all others did. The Normandy docked at the Citadel space port and Shepard made his announcement over the intercom. "Everyone dock side in ten minutes." He'd never gotten many groans or other such noises that suggested lack of participation. Mostly the crew was enthused. All except Joker who first began a protest then eventually just stopped when he realized the Commander himself was dragging his chair along the bridge towards the airlock.

After ten minutes had passed, the entire crew was assembled outside of their 'mobile home' looking eager to start their day within the Citadel's vast and lavish accommidations. Seeng them all there, Shepard would merely say, "You've got until tomorrow morning. Everyone back here at 08:00 hours. We clear?" They would all nod, he would dismiss them with a hand gesture and off they would all go. That would leave him in the clear to do what he always did. Off to check around for information, off to secure weapon licenses, off to deal with council bullshit and then, finally, off to Flux.

Why Flux? Two reasons. One, Flux had a better view then Chora's Den. It was bigger and positioned higher on the Citadel therefore it gave him a good eyes view of what lay out the large windows. Two, it was safer really. Even a man like Shepard, full of piss and vinegar and with an attitude like that of a polar bear with a varren shoved up it's ass, liked to avoid rough situations when on leave. He spent all day and night wondering what was going to jump out at him next, it was good to have a feeling of ease at least somewhere once in awhile. Though that hardly meant he let his guard down completely.

Whatever, it didn't matter. In the end he was content in his corner booth at Flux, taking in the music, the booze and the troves of women dancing so carefree on the dance floor before him. He never found any shame in watching. He always took this in early as it would only be a matter of time before his privacy was turned to comradery as one by one crew members would join him.

This is where things began to veer off the normal path. Normally Shepard was joined, in order of appearance, by Liara, then Wrex, then Garrus. At first he'd found it odd that this would be his company. A collection of alien races that typically were not agreeable having no qualms with sharing his table with either him or any of the others. Sure, they behaved on the Normandy but he'd always thought it mostly to be out of respect. Or at the very least the knowledge that he wouldn't tolerate inner turmoil. But out here, he'd thought they would all avoid one another. Apparently, the great Shepard had been wrong. After months of this, he now thought it to be normal. The looks people gave them were ignored and the four would go on talking about things and drinking like tomorrow would be the end.

This time however, the number at the table would add one more. It seemed Tali had decided to join them and though Shepard hadn't a clue as to why, he wouldn't complain. After all, he kept telling her to be more social on the ship. Little did he know tonight could possibly be the night he discovered as to why she hadn't joined them before.

"Is there room for one more?" Tali would ask, her confidence seeming unwavering, though her posture suggested a mild timidness.

Though everyone at the table was a little surprised, no one objected. Garrus moved a seat over to allow her to sit while Shepard lifted an arm - his signal to the barkeep that he wanted another round for them all. Conversation would continue as would the drinks. The sun had long since blinked off it's light and still the five remained, though now much louder and much less couth about their stories and words. Over the course of the night Shepard had found an arm about Liara's Shoulders and the other pointed like a pistol at Wrex as the human and Krogan exchanged threats and insults. It was a fun game they had when at the drinks and one that disturbed the other tables around them. Oddly no one ever complained though. Later, when trying to retrace memory, just before this was when the Commander lost track of Tali and Garrus who had been in a heated debate moments before. Over what? He couldn't recall.

"Bosh'tet...For the final time there is no 'Flux Capacitor' in the Normandy's drive engine! That part is archeic human technology!"

"If I can't calibrate it, it's not worth my memory." Garrus paused a moment to force himself to sit up a bit straighter as he took another lick of his Turian Brandy. "And that's why, I have no idea what that capacitor does."

Tali, a bit less intoxicated then her Turian debator, scoffed and swatted his shoulder out of pure frustration. "There is NO capacitor! There's nothing to remember because it doesn't do anything because it doesn't exist."

"There are more things to life then capacitors."

If one could see beneath Tali's mask they would notice the intense murderous glare that was briefly shot in Garrus' direction. She knew he wasn't stupid, drunk yes, but not stupid. He was simply egging her on and it was not appreciated.

Having felt the look, the Turian would chuckle as though triumphant as he polished off the last of his drink. "All that I'm saying Tali is that it really doesn't matter that much if it exists. It doesn't go in the drive engine and you know it doesn't so if one was there you'd know something was wrong where as I, would not." He would be forced to pause to recollect his thought process. That thought was hard to follow when one was hazy. "Everyone has a knack, as the human's say. Yours is tech."

"Oh you noticed?" Her tone was subtly sarcastic and condescending as she too took to her drink.

"No." He replied in much the same tone. "Just now really. I realized you were Quarian, the rest just fell into place. A Quarian Tech Prodigy? Why yes! The universe makes sense now."

She rolled her eyes, used to his play on her race. Garrus and herself had a history of bickering. Anything from debates to chid remarks, to passing insults. They had never seemed to find any common ground. She said Black, he would say white and so the circle would go round without signs of stop. Thus, his comments usually didn't bother her any more, but could become frusterating. Even so, she could never bring herself to be the one to end the cycle. If anything she seemed more inclined to allow it to continue.

After all, she couldn't let him 'win'

"Mind blowing, I know. Though not so much as you. A calibrating Turian. Astounding!" She paused to shift her weight as the liquor began to take more of a hold upon her. "Alert the council!"

The response this raised from Garrus was a non symettrical sneer. "I'd say you have a big mouth, but alas I've never seen it." The sneer would coil to a smirk. "How's your immune system by the way?"

The two would share with one another an intense glower, each relaying a fiesty discontent to one another presence. Silence would pass between them and linger before slowly Tali would stand - a soundless sign of her defeat.

"I would like to tell you how much I hate you right now. But I just can't find a term that would describe such intensity."

Garrus would chuckle a triumphant grin pulling at the edges of his scaled mouth. "Now now, Hate is such a very strong word."

Finding she had nothing else to say, Tali would take her leave of the situation. Upon her exit the turian would once again chuckle to himself feeling nearly as victorious as he did drunk. Poking fun at a Quarian had never felt so rewarding. Though, in a way, he was disappointed she had left. What was he supposed to do now?

Ah yes...Drink!

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><p>Everything was so...Loud!<p>

First Joker's voice had been loud, blaring over the Normandy's intercom that they had detected a distress becon in the Artemis Tau cluster. Then the armour and armaments had all been so loud as they clanked and clattered together as three of the crew member prepared for a drop in the Mako. Further more, the landing had been loud, the planets winds had been loud and now, the opening of the research facilities doors were fucking LOUD!

A few steps in the door and both Shepard and Garrus removed their helmets. Each put a hand to their heads and stifled a groan. Beyond the next set of doors the foot steps of the Mercenaries sounded like a herd of cattle on steel plating and rang true through the ears of the two hung over party members.

The third party member, Tali, would shake her head at the two. "Really? You two slept like babies." She'd pause and they'd both look at her, perplexed as to how she'd know how they slept. As if to answer the, she'd shake her head again. "You only just left your quarters when Joker called everyone. It's technically passed midday."

Shepard grunted. "I was wondering why it was so bright on this rock..." And would leave it at that.

Garrus however thought her behaviour strange. He'd been drunk enough for a hangover but not for memory loss. He'd assumed she'd be mad at him...Perhaps his hangover was causing him enough grief to quell her discontent. Also, the two of them did tend to keep their 'exchanges' away from missions. Settling upon this, he calmed his suspicions and readied a sniper rifle.

It was an unwritten law of the universe that when Shepard took Garrus and Tali on missions the order into combat was as followed. Shepard would charge in with a shotgun, Tali would follow, covering him with a pistol and Garrus was take up the rear as a guard against Snipers and rocketeers. This mission was no different. This time however there was a great many Krogan and as a species they were not well known for their love of the sniper or rocket jock class of soldier. Due to this actuality, Garrus spent most of this fight hanging back, watching the far surroundings for any sign of - ahh there!

Up upon the terrace a human sharpshoot poked his head over the railing and began to line a shot. Sadly for the human he was far to slow. In less time then it took to inhale Garrus had adjusted his rifle, caught the man's head in the sights and pulled the trigger.

A loud sound resembling a 'FWOOM-WHOP' echoed through the area accompanied by a harsh flash of light. Not only had the overcharged round splattered the one remaining human mercenary but it had also caused anyone left in the room to be deafened, blinded and if they had the poor fortune of being Garrus, winded and gasping on the floor from the resulting kick back.

If one listened, or rather if one could even hear, they'd be able to pick up the deep tenor of Shepard's voice tossing around threats of violence and profanities as he held his head and tried valiantly not to weep from the agonizing shock. Hangovers and loud noises had suddenly become his mortal enemy and he was not keen on either.

Too shocked and out of breath to behave as his Commander was, Garrus just layed on the floor a look of pure shock and confusion upon his face. How had that happened? He'd just calibrated that rifle the day before there was no way it could have fallen out of sync so severely in such a short time! Blinking, he'd find the spots in his visions beginning to clear and to further his surprise he saw Tali leaning over him. How had she found him if she was blind? Unless...

"That looked like it stung Garrus. " The Quarian said, her voice so near a content coo that immediately the Turian would feel anger. "I suppose I won't alert the council."

"You..."

"Don't blame this on me." She would reply, triumph creeping it's way into her words. "You should be more careful with your calibrations."

Garrus would glare at her, unsure of whether he should admit defeat or express fervent ire to the situation. Stuck between the two he settled with only a short heartily expressed sentence. "I...hate you."

It was Tali's turn to chuckle - a sound that edged Garrus' nerves. "Now, now Garrus. Hate is such a strong word."

Stunned back to silence the Turian was unsure of how to react. First, he felt the violent urge to wring her neck. This quickly dissapated however and was replaced with the overwhelming urge to laugh. This he would quell and instead let out a scoff to signal his defeat all while a few subtle clicks of his mandibles relayed his humor of the situation. "This is war."

Though he was unsure if she had heard him, Garrus was sure she already knew. Something about her posture and the elated way her hips swayed as she moved away from him. Plus he was sure she knew that Turians never backed down from a fight.

Had Shepard been in his right mind perhaps he would have noticed the exchange. Instead his agony drove him to confirm what they had come for and upon establishing it had just been a trap, he'd leave without so much as a hint to knowing what had happened.

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><p>Annd that's that. As I get time I'll continue on finding different altercations and means for the two of them to continue their little 'war'.<p>

Thanks for Reading! Roan - out!


	2. ME1  Mako Madness

Yo again! Finding some time after finally beating ME3 to continue on with the blurbings. For the sake of time line consistence this blurb is also from ME1 and so shall the trend continue until I work my way slowly through to the second and then the third. So shall the vigilant light of Team Dextro plot onwards!

I've really got to stop writing these without sleep! XD

Also a warning. I write my shepard as a Renegon with a heavy lean towards Renegade and though it's not really significant here he also harbors a dislike for his own species. Just in case a comment slips in, this should explain it.

Anyway! Some concerns were brought up about my spelling, grammar and syntex. Thank you to maximuso and Sudy Nim for that and I will keep a better eye out! I have no intensions on making this English Class study material but I don't want anyone to rip out their eyes either XD

maximuso...I have no idea what Benedit et Beatrice is But I'm looking it up as you read! XD

Sudy Nim...I noticed after that the narrative was heavy and I plan to rectify as needed here. Thank you!

As always

GO TEAM DEXTRO!

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><p>Mako Madness<p>

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><p>Relations between Garrus and Tali had become mildly skewed over the month following the rifle incident. A shot glare here or there, a snide well placed jab while passing one another and even dry racist comments. Though there was no shouting or beating there was the hover mal-content. Were the two to cross paths, the room or hall would become subject to a small elephant causing mild discomfort to all subject to it's unpleasentry.<p>

Couthfully, Wrex was the first to address the issue one evening after both the Quarian and Turian had left the mess hall. "What the hell's with them?"

"Maybe Quarians and Turians just don't get along?" Ashley responded with obvious disinterest to the conversation.

"Not many species do get along with Quarians. Most consider them to be beggars and theives due to thier need to rummage and reuse. Similarily they are blamed for the geth another reason many frown upon them. Also, Turians can be stubborn with common one track thought processes. Perhaps this is causing a disagreement?"

Between the two occupied tables everyone but Shepard would stare at Liara and her placid diagnosis of the situation. She of course quickly realized the attention and became mildly bewildered. Kaiden was kind enough to cut her off before any more rambling started. "Or maybe they just don't like each other?"

"Can't we just make them fight each other?"

Mixed reactions from all but Shepard persued. Liara looked startled, Ashley looked amused and Kaiden just opted to shake his head. Ashley decided to be the one to respond. "Like make them spar each other?"

Wrex snorted. "Humans. You're all soft. I mean fight to the death. That'll settle all of this. Immediately." Now everyone was startled. "How 'bout it Shepard?"

Now all eyes shot towards the Commander forcing the man to pull a fork from his mouth. Surprisingly Shepard looked honestly contemplative on the option that had been handed to him which further shocked the rest of the non-krogan crewmates. After a moment he'd shake his head. "No. Not fair. Garrus would smear Tali."

"We'll give her a gun and make it fair."

"Hmm..." Again the contemplation.

"Shepard!"

The unison of Kaiden's and Liara's voice forced the Commander to peer over at them and take the shocked and offended looks they had to offer in full force. He took with with mild aggitation as he scratched heavily at the scar marring his bristled chin. "Well no one else suggested anything." Still the look and he was forced to grunt in a compliant manner. "Look I'm not Captain Mom. They want to fight let them fight. They'll either fix it or stop talking."

Their appaled looks changed to one of consideration then mostly disagreement. Very quickly would one note that Shepard's care meter was hovering rather low on the matter. A slow moment passed and as they continued to stare his aggitation would begin to rise until finally the man would snort - a forefront to his defeat.

"Fine then 'Family' what would you have Captain Mom do to make the Dextro Kids play nice?"

Though they had all been enlisted with the Commander long enough to know he was irritable outside of battle never did they question his - though seemingly begrudent - care for his crew members. Unfortunately they were never quite ready for his sardonic and bad metaphors either.

"And if anyone says a time out I'm cutting pay."

Liara's mouth, which had just begun to open, quickly shut.

"Well it's really none of our business-"

Shepard interjected quite readily. "Oh now that you have to decide, it's none of our business!"

"SO-" Kaiden started again over powering the interruption with an interruption. "Just put them together for a little bit. Make them help each other with something and they should fix it themselves. They're not children right? Adults sort these things out." The stare he received from his Commander would be severe enough to make the sentinel scratch nervously at the back of his neck.

"But only if I lock them in close quarters?...like...A time out?"

"W-well..."

Shepard stood up suddenly, taking a moment to finish his drink before beginning to walk away. "Well your pay cut will pay for drinks at out next rest leave. I'm going to go break the mako so they can fix it together. Then after tell them how concerned you all were." And with that he was gone.

Defeated Alenko's head was flat against the table while the two woman chuckled at the poor man's defeat. Liara offered him a pat on the back in condolense while Wrex stood and also began to lumber away.

"Well 'kids'. "Uncle' Wrex is going to head down to the lower deck with some of that popcorn you human's like so much." He chuckled in a nigh disturbing manner before he too disappeared out the door

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

That elephant weighed heavily upon the armoured roof of mako making the sounds of keyboard tapping, omni-tool flashing and wire routing all funnel into a defeaning echo in the otherwise silent room. Not more then 3 feet apart from one another both Garrus and Tali leaned in over the engine compartment of the Mako tank each individually attempting to diagnose the issues at hand. So far there has been several unplugged wires, several burnt wires, a loose heat sink manifold, and encryped virus in the drive computer. All had been corrected but still the beast wouldn't start up which was unfortunate.

The misfortune was placed soley upon the fact that the longer the mako sat unworking the longer the two had to stand together within a meter's hold. So far an hour had drifted by without a word and though favourable it was becoming grating - or at least it was to Garrus. It made him feel paranoid in an awkward way as he'd not forgotten the rifle incident and he was sure neither had she. So, the Turian decided to approach conversation, perhaps get an edge on her thoughts or rather, plots.

"So-"

"If you say one word about a 'Flux Capacitor' I will beat you with a wrench."

Unable to hide his surprise to her out right and final statement, Garrus would halt his inspection momentarily to glance up at the Quarian girl. "My my, aren't we aggressive today?"

"Not so much as your smell."

Unsure of what to make of that comment Garrus risked a brief chuckle though its tone was edging towards offence. "That was petty."

Tali paused very briefly to look up at him. "I like petty." Dismissive. And she went back to diagnosing the drive engine.

A minute or so passed compiled of Garrus merely staring at the Quarian as though she were an unpinned grenade. That hadn't gone at all like it should have. Normally he says something, she politely avoid and he continues with a chiding joke and ultimately wins the verbal skirmish. She wasn't supposed to just...shut down conversation like that. Had he been a less stubborn person Garrus would have spent days wondering over this. He however, decided to adapt.

"Like petty hmm? Then I don't feel bad pointing out your air is filtered in your suit so that aweful smell can only be you." Playing calm he too began to study the engine right about the time she'd stop to glare at him. "But don't worry I'm sure if you ask Shepard very nicely he'll find you a decontaminated shower. Somewhere between stopping Saren and killing Geth."

As holes bored thier way through the top of his skull Garrus would allow his mandibles a twitch in triumph. Ah yes, there was the ire - the glare that signalled his triumph.

"Terrible time waster that ill immune system of yours. Hours of meal preparations, hours of hygenic preparations...Probably easier to just not to-"

"There's something wrong with you Vakarian." The Quarian's heated voice.

He chuckled with subtle condecension. "Offended? You said you liked petty."

"Oh I do."

Had Garrus been looking up and not reveling in his victory he'd have noticed he shifted movement. Since he was simply too busy being clever however he'd not have time to react as her gloved hand snatched one of his mandibles and gave a hard tug forward. Instinctively the Turian lurched forward to take the force off the poor appendage bringing him face to mask with Tali over the engine of the Tank.

"I don't know if you hate Quarians or even just hate me or just maybe have a problem. But don't think that because you have scales that your skin is thicker then mine Vakarian because it is not. You can sneer and chid and berate all you'd like but in the end I won't break. And you won't win."

Heatedly did the two stare at one another, each waiting for the other to faulter. Neither did.

A short time later Garrus would try to reclaim his mandible only to find that Tali simply wouldn't let go. Apparently she wanted her point well across before he was allowed to be freed. Having had enough, the Turian reached out and grabbed her arm and rather then tug it free he began to pull simply trying to pull her over the engine to slacken her grip.

"Let go!"

"You first!"

Insults were quietly exchange as each struggle to lessen the others grip. As the struggle ensued the insults became louder and more petty, in direct proportion to how violent the writhing became. Somewhere between pulling and thrashing a limb pulled free a hose. This particular hose was part of a pneumatic system requiring pressure to function and though it was not crucial to the engines functionality it was crucial to keep the armour hood proped up in the air.

An unceremonious thump resounded loudly as the hood came down and connected with the back piece of the Turian's armour. The squabbling pair released each other with a start as realization dawned upon them. After exchanging a look with Tali, Garrus tried to push up. A grunt and a lot of effort would reveal that four inches of armour plated hull pinching down on a Turians armour was too heavy for him to lift. Realizing this, Tali tried to squirm free only to discover that part of her suit was caught on more then one something. Immediately she's cease struggling.

"Kee'lah..."

"Perfect...Try pushing up"

In unison they both tried to pry the hood open enough to worm their way out. Again to no avail. Several more tries were equally unsuccessful and eventually the both stopped the futile attempts. Mere centimeters apart and forced to face one another the two sighed similteneously at the awkwardness.

"Well at least you don't actually smell..." Garrus offered with a wry bit of humour.

To that Tali retorted. "And at least I can't smell that you do."

A snort and Garrus would begin struggling again. Once more he found it futile then begrudgently surrendered. "It's just you."

"it's just me what?"

"I just hate you."

"Why thank you for not making this racial"

"Not a problem..."

xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Outside the mako in the shuttle bay, Wrex had found a nice place to sit. Sure it had been far away and he couldn't really hear most of what had been said but he'd been in plain sight when the struggling continued. First class seats really; especially when the lid came crashing down on the two. He laughed as he watch the back end of Garrus kick and struggle then Tali kick and struggle. Eventually the two laid still and there was a long silence. The Krogan almost felt he should be concerned until a similtaneous 'HELP' belted out from under the armoured veil.

Once he'd finished laughing at the, he opened a comm link to Shepard. "Hey Captain Mom. You need to come to the Shuttle Bay."

_"Damn it!"_

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><p>Well that ended up being a little more ridiculas in someplaces then I intended. The Enemy level of the Frenemy gauge is a little higher too. Don't worry, all part of the eventual plan. Myess!<p>

Thank you for reading! As always any comments are welcome!

Roan, Out!


	3. ME1 A Bit of Give

Wellity wellity! It seems I've returned after far too long - as always. I'm afraid that at the age of graduation I decided that I would hit the world at full exuberant force and show them all just how adult I could be! Now, several years later I'm regretting the initial jump as the responsibilities it was placed upon me has left me without the free time that I desire...Thank God I don't have kids _ ... Not that kids are bad, I just like free time.

Moving along!

Thank you To the people who read and also to the ones that reviewed! Though I am doing this for fun its always nice to see that the text I spew onto the interwebz is crossing peoples eyes!

**To Adams7:** Thank you for clarifying Benedict et Beatrice XD I'm terrible for actually looking up things and you saved me a lot of confusion! Also for your interest - I will continue on! Albiet slowly it seems.

**To Jaded Observer:** A lot of people I talk to about Mass Effect don't seem to agree with G/T romance. Honestly I can see many points against it (even if you didn't romance either with your Shepard XD) age, species, and even personal interest of the characters. I do however enjoy the development of their friendship and am glad that you can see the value (and humour) in that! 3

**To LockDown:** Yosh to the Captain! And honestly thank you for being a big inspiration to all G/T lovers everywhere. I laughed and cried my way through G/T Snapshots and all of its rebooting. I feel pride in this being # 25 and hope to contribute more. Similarily I look forward to whatever it is you bring us all in the future.

On a note, if anyone reading this enjoys Garrus/Tali on any level You should check out LockDown. He has great material and links to more great material for your reading pleasure.

HUZZAH TEAM DEXTRO!

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A Bit of Give

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Since the Mako incident Garrus had scarcely left the side of the All Terrain Vehicle. Partly he feared more tinkering with the systems would take place via Shepard if he pulled himself away for too long, or that perhaps Tali herself may even decide to mess with all that he spent so much time tending to and perfecting. Other wise he'd discovered that if he was there, running tests and looking busy, he was usually left alone.

Garrus had no issues with most of his shipmates, but there was a golden property to privacy and time to yourself when you were aboard a vessel with several dozen other people. Specifically when that vessel spend most of its time away from port. Not to say that he had completely dismissed the idea of magnatizing himself and spending days upon the Normandy's hull, but the idea held low merrit as it would be very cold. Noveria had given him enough cold to last the rest of his life time.

He shivered just thinking about it.

Therefore though he may constantly be staring at diagnostic screens or under the belly of the metallic beast adjusting bolts or calibrating electronics, the Turian found it relatively peaceful in light of other options. It helped as well that after the Mako incident Shepard had all but banished him to the task as he had done to Tali in engineering.

Garrus found humour in Shepards logic. Humour in a man who could act so calm and cocky in life erasing situations but get so entirely worked up over a pair of squabbling squad mates. Worked up enough to send them each to a different 'corner' of the ship. The thought of this changed humour to mild aggitation as very abruptly Garrus Vakarian felt like an infant. His immediate reaction was to blame Tali which further made him feel like a silly child. 'It's not my fault' and 'She started it!' Crossed his mind which lead to a verbal scoff.

"Look at me, Saren is trying to rip apart the galaxy and I'm whining to myself." The screen before him bleeped in confirmation of his task, but the Turian saw it as an electronic confirmation to his words. He'd then eye the screen with grim repremand before continuing along with the system analysis.

The cannon was cleaned, loaded and ready. The aiming program was tuned and without flaw. Further more the life support systems were topped and buzzing along perfectly in accordance to each of the scenerios he would feed to it through his omni-tool. The engine core had been checked, re-checked and even polished and now in it's diagnostic showed not even a blip of oddity in all it's electronic components.

Garrus gave to a smirk - as best as his beak like mouth would allow - and let his mandibles twitch is mild content. It seemed no matter how badly Shepard would beat on the Mako's system with his hellion like driving, Garrus could always manage to click the thing together back into perfect condition. There was pride in that, especially after one experienced the level of insanity involved in the Commander's driving skills.

Several more icons flashed green at him, showing the rest of the systems to be in pristine conditions. One by one the list hit green until only the last remained. With lazy expectancy he'd wait for the grey ring display for calculating to flash that soothing emerald light at him. Instead it flickered and came up amber. With attention perked, the Turian would pull up the expanded menu on the stability system to see exactly why the 'Caution' sign had come up to alert.

To create the best level of stability in the cockpit of the Mako, the alliance had employed engineers in association with large, meaty off earth mining vehicles. Seeing as the Mako was very heavy due to passenger load and armour plating with the potential of hitting planets with several times earths gravitational pull, the need for good, sturdy shock absorbing systems was vital. Therefore the system, based off of its mining born mother, was a hydraulic system with many small pistons and even front and rear 'air bags' in the under belly to help keep the pilots from being shaken about in the vehicle. The result was a hearty all Terrain vehicle with better shock absorbers then a tank - but not by much. This system was controlled primarily by a simple computer program that gauged atmosphere, vehicle weight, vehicle position and terrain density. So simple infact was the program that it only required to have the mechanic in charge of its systems check the primary coding to be sure they had not been tampered with and usually an omni tool loaded with the proper perameters would check and rectify any issue. Thus when the situation was not solved immediately, mild confusion was the response.

When simple things broke it was normally for simple reasons and though the shock system itself was complex, the brain power behind it was not and so Garrus assumed it was nothing of importance. Perhaps he disconnected a sensor the last time he'd crawled under. Or perhaps he'd not properly engauged the locking brake. Silly things such as that were often an experts downfall and so they were the first he checked.

Crawling under, Garrus checked everyone of the dozen or so sensors in association with the shock system and even a few that were unrelated. "These all check out." He'd mumble to himself while wriggling free of the confined location. Next would be to check the brake. He'd open the door and climb into the beast before making his way to the front to affirm the locking brake was both manually and electronically engaged. Seeing that it was he'd then frown. "That's odd." He'd then take a seat and begin a more thorough look at the programming. Right about the time he discovered there was a weird set of binary being imputed, the Mako would begin to move.

First the front lurched skyward - pausing at the extent the hydraulics allowed. Next the front would drop and the rear would then shoot for the ceiling. Startled Garrus was first tossed back into his seat then forward into the dash with a very unceremonious 'thump'. He'd have no more time then allowed for a 'augh!' before he was tossed back into the seat and forcibly buckled in. The mako would begin to 'dance' as pistons flared then sunk at each individual wheel at seemingly random intervals. Sometimes it would stop just long enough for the Turian to yelp other times it would pause in some oddly lurched position. Once the thrusters even engauged, lifting the machine up then dropping it harshly onto the ships floor.

Never once did Garrus have a pause long enough to allow him access to his omnitool. Also it was getting more and more difficult to avoid nausea, something Turians didn't often have to deal with. Over all that however he was able to contemplate the wild situation and with every second that passed and connection that he made he'd gain himself closer and closer to the cause of his mechanical bull ride. Reaching an assumed conclusion while he fought to keep his dextro rations in his hearty stomach, the now very frusterated Turian would let out a yell.

"TALI!"

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Tali'Zorah nar Rayya chuckled to herself as she watched 'Turian in a Blender' which was, of course, the title she had given to the security cam footage she was now watching. She'd have felt bad for the situation she'd put Garrus in if one, he'd just checked the stability programming more thoroughly and two, if he wasn't the empitome of a Turian ass. Besides, it really wasn't her fault that the Mako had no anti - hacking software protecting it's systems from invasion. Which really was logical considering that the Geth were machines. Again she'd chuckle, this time at the irony.

Right about the time he'd scream out her name in something akin to complete irritation she'd end the simulated scenerio that she had inputed to the Mako's computer. Over the vid she'd watch the vehicle settle and his seat belt undo. The Quarian would find a smugness settle in at how he just remained plasted back in his seat as though expecting the machine to buck to life once more. The poor Turian looked on the edge of spilling his lunch over the deck and this instilled Tali with a bit of regret.

"Perhaps I let the ride last too long." She'd coo to herself in a moment of genuine sympathy. With that sympathy came all the normal thoughts of 'He's not really that bad' and 'Maybe I went to far' all the things one would think when they believe they have bested someone so completely. And, for several more very self satsified minutes, Tali would go on believing that feel of victory.

And so would everyone be oblivious to there altercation, until very suddenly the Normandy's engines would stop.

Joker's voice would hail over the intercom. _"Hey Engineering! Don't mean to wake you up from your naps or anything but I've got no boost."_

Tali's head would turn away from one computer monitor to look at another. Joker was right. The engine power was non existant. Beside her the Quarian could hear Adams try and bolster the rest of the crew. "Come on people! What's going on!" Further off a confirmation would come in from a woman. "Adams, sir! The engines propulsion protocol! It's been re written!"

Alarmed and spurred by the very real threat of Geth take over, Tali' Zorah pulled open the engine systems and dove directly into the protocol programming. Sifting through pages and pages of the numerical coding she was relieved to find the symantics didn't match that of the Geth. However, the more she shifted through the more she began to reconize it. "Turian code?"

A moment pause before she'd snap her head back to the monitor portraying the inside of the Mako. A nausiated Garrus had just finished tapping away at his omni-tool before he'd shakily stand and leave the armoured rover.

Unsure on whether she should laugh or cry the Quarian cursed and returned to the issue at hand. She wasn't an expert on Turian design and codings but she was certain it couldn't be too hard to figure out. As certain as one could be until she started to run into re-coding issues. Not long and she'd figured out with much frusteration that the programming was now encrypted.

_"What's going on Engineering? I don't like the idea of skipping along out in the galactic play ground. Can't run away if the bully's show up. And uh, manuevering is a really awesome mechanic. Keeps us from crashing into, you know, stars."_

"Well played Vakarian." Tali would find herself muttering to herself, perhaps with a bit of begrudging respect.

Behind her a voice, though slightly wavered, would reply. "I thought so."

Continuing with her task, the Quarian would smirk to herself. "Awefully bold of you to take out the Commander's ship."

He'd play innocent. "Me? Maybe it was the same thing that caused the Mako to dance. Very unkind of them to hit us where we work, wasn't it?"

Tali held silent. He had a point and as much as she would have liked to blame him, this time it was all on her. There wasn't a hint of a doubt on that. Still she'd not say it a loud. Though from the change in his posture she was beginning to think she didn't have to. Still she'd maintain the air of innocence to the situation. "The Mako was dancing?"

"Yes." Garrus would reply in a nigh coy tone as he moved up to stand beside her, feigning interest in what was on her diagnostic screen. Also feigned would be his ignorance to her closing down the extra screen she had open which had displayed an image oddly close to that of the Mako's interior. "Funny thing - the stabilizer's flailing around. It really if a petty thing to manipulate. Doesn't really cause damage, just discomfort to anyone inside. ...Though it was pleasent that I was buckled up at the time."

"Seat Belts save lives." Was the response as Tali tried to focus more on decoding and less on what ever it was that he was about to say or do. That attempt at directing focus made the pause between his next words agonizing, to the point where she nearly wanted to yell at him to just spit it out. Having a hovering Turian was nerve racking, specifically when one was trying to fix an issue created by said Turian.

Eventually Garrus would lean over, making it seem as though he were analysing but instead to bring himself closer to her so that he may speak lower. "Look Tali. I say we call this one a draw. Before the Commander finds out we've both sabotaged his ship."

She'd scoff slightly. "We wouldn't want the Commander to know. We might get extended time outs."

"Or maybe he'll give us a stern talking to."

Very slight similtaneous smirks of wry amusement would pull over both their faces. Then Tali would chim in. "But seriously he'll kill us."

"Right."

Garrus entered the computer system and set about removing the security perimeters he'd set to allow the old protocol to be reloaded. Once his wall was down Tali reset the engine and quickly went about the proper ignition methods. Moments later the Normandy was fired up again and confirmed by another of Joker's sarcastic comments.

_"All right! My baby! She lives!"_

Engineer Adams approached the two aliens with an impressed look. "Hey! You figured it out, thats great! What the hell was it? We didn't really reconize it."

Both Garrus and Tali exchanged looks before Tali would response. "Looked like some complex Geth code."

Then Garrus. "It seemed as though they had mimcked Turian protocol. I was able to help identify and uh.. Tali was able to reset it."

The human engineer looked at them both and if he'd know them better he'd have likely been suspicious. Lucky he didn't and he was far too impressed to be bothered with any hint of suspect. "Geth really? Damn that's bad. I'll get everyone working on a better firewall for the internal systems." And before he'd turn to leave. "Don't know why everyone thinks you don't get along. You work great together!" With that he'd leave to two aliens, merely nodding to him and all his comments.

"Geth code?"

"Well what else would have attacked us?"

"I see your point." He responded. "Do you think Shepard will buy it?"

"Of course. Then he doesn't have to deal with us."

"I see your point again." Garrus pushed away from the console and made his way to the door. After a few steps however, he'd pause and look back. "I enjoyed our little game today Tali, But maybe we should seperate our work and personal lives. I don't feel ok with the idea of being drug behind the ship after a 'stern' talking to by our Commander."

She'd shrug as though conceeding to his point. "I suppose. What will I do for fun now, hm?"

The Turian would return the shrug. "Oh I'm sure you'll think of something. And when you do it will blow in my face, or toss me around or electrocute me or...something. But in my free time."

"Is sleep considered free time?"

"You're so mean. I don't like it." Was is final response before he'd exit engineering. Oddly however, after this altercation with the Quarian girl he felt a bit less ire then normal. Perhaps even a higher level of respect...or perhaps he was still nauseous.

Unbeknownst the the Turian, Tali would feel the same.

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"What was all that about?" Ashley asked Joker as she approached the Normandy's cockpit. "Why'd then engines just cut out?"

"Ahh, Adams said something about Geth hackers. Said that Garrus and Tali found it an were able to fix it together."

A silence fell as the two looked at one another, each passing moment relaying more and more doubt from the both of them. It seemed niether could believe that Tali and Garrus would work together in anything aside from a gun fight. Even then bad things would tend to happened. "Ok bullshit. What really happened."

Joker shrugged. "I don't know. That's all Adams said. All I know is my baby's flying again."

Ashly gave a dark look preluding anger. "Like hell. If those aliens are mucking around the ships systems and causing problems I'll kick both their asses."

"Whoa hey! They fight with each other, they don't fight us. I doubt they'd do something that stupid." In response to her glare Joker would just blink and rub the back of his neck. "Commander wouldn't've brought them on if he didn't trust them."

"Yeah but still...Wait where's the Commander? I thought he'd be pissed about the loss of engine power."

Joker rolled his eyes. "He's in the shower. Probably never noticed the cut."

Ashley shook her head. "Still?! He's been up there for like two hours. What's he doing?"

Coyly Joker responded. "What do you think guys do in the shower?"

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If the Captain's quarter's were not sound proof one would beable to hear what exactly Shepard was doing. While the shower head attacked his body with seering hot water, releasing the tension from all muscles allowing him to relax. In the one place where sin could temperarily be washed from his skin and a true sense of nirvana allowed to set in the military man would tilt his head back and yell with passion:

"JUST TAKE IT! TAAAAKKKEEE ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE OF MY HEART OUT BABY! WHOO!"

Ancient Earth music had always kind of been his thing.

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX

Awoo~! I'm done. Sorry about the shower. Friend kept insisting that everyone sings that song in the shower and it got stuck in my head.

And now you will read this, Shower and sing Take Another Piece of My Heart .

So how was it? Little ridiculas and I noticed a little heavy on the description of the Stabilizers lol. I felt it necessary for some weird reason. Anyway! I'll try to get another Chapter up soon. Hopefully you all liked this one.

Keep up the Dextro Love!

Roan, out!


	4. ME 1 For Honour!

Yup at it again! I reefed my arm really bad so I got a few days off work. Not good for my wallet but excellent for my free time gauge. Which has actually given me time to read more fanfiction! Sadly there aren't many new G/T centric ones - even if its just friend ship - but still there are some good ones! I always find it interesting how differently people write Shepard. It really allows you as a reader to experience many different angles or types of personalities without forsaking the fandom to do so.

Also interesting is the amount of fics that write Tali very fragile. Which surprised me as I always saw Tali as fairly strong. Though I suppose everyone has their own point of view. But please! Tell me what you think! I'm curious!

Lastly I have a dilemma here. I have two more ideas for ME 1 but I only intended to write one more ME 1 related Chapter. So I'll try to wind them both in as smoothly as possible and hopefully not create a plot point rift. Bare with me!

Moving along!

**To Jaded Observer**: After all these months you still follow me?! T_T So ...Happy! And Yes they did manage to avoid Captain Mom as he was far too emersed in harmonics.

THats all the review for Chapter 3 as it's only been a day since I posted it XD

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**For Honour!**

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As the days went by less and less time was able to be devoted to personal pleasures. The clock began to tick loudly at the crew, letting everyone know of wasted minutes the closer and closer to Virmire they became. Everyone laughed a lot less and slept a lot less as preparations were made. Every piece of machinery was checked, every gun cleaned and calibrated and everyone set to the highest alert. They all knew that with every second that passed they were being lead closer and closer to Saren.

One mission now. A favour to Admiral Hackett was all that remained before the final battle would begin. Shepard had taken a ground crew across to the free floating Alliance vessel to scan the interior and find out exactly why it had gone off radar. Expecting trouble in close quarters he'd opted to take Wrex and Kaiden leaving the others to tend to the Normandy and whatever final repairs that she needed.

That order is what had emprisoned Tali in the Normandy's engine room, without sleep, for the passed day or so.

Currently the Quarian had her head down with mask against a control panel she stooped over. Numbers, letters, symbols, velocities, response times, temperature ratings, equations and more all spiraled through her mind. So engrained were these algorythms that when she shut her eyes they danced in her vision, She felt like they were taunting her - daring her to get that better response time she wanted; or the boosted propulsion they needed. She could swear she could even hear electronic tittering a kin to laughter as they buzzed about. It was more then mildly irritating.

"Kee'lah-" She began while she drew herself up once more to face the screens before her. "Even I can't take much more of this."

Yes the challenge was invigorating - or at least it had been a few days ago - but now they simply wasn't enough time to lax about and think. It had to be done. And it had to be done by the time Shepard returned. Not only was there the potential to save lives with any upgrading but it was also a matter of pride. Even for a Quarian Tali was considered and Engineer Savant and she hadn't gotten that title by lacking results. She got things done, and this would be no different. Not if she could help it anyway.

With that boost re affirmed in her mind, she'd decide that the best thing for her to do was to take a break. Not enough time to sleep but maybe enough to eat something. The ships dextro rations left much to the imagination but at least they were something. To get that something she'd leave Engineering.

Stressful days left little time for vendettas thus recently the Vakarian-Zorah war had been reduced to nothing more the commentary made when one passed the other. Mostly racial slurs or less then clever chids at looks or hygiene. The lack of creativity had only gotten worse as time pushed ahead seeing as niether of them remembered what the word sleep actually meant. There was little difference in the altercation this time.

As Tali emerged into the loading bay of the Normandy she could see Garrus in the hangar tinkering with a sniper rifle - possibly one of the last to be adjusted in the ships armoury. While waiting for the excrusiatingly slow elevator to reach her she'd call out, barely loud enough for him to hear. "Still playing with toys Vakarian?"

He'd grunt and without looking up from his task he'd respond. "Of course. I love when toys have 50 caliber projectiles. I was thinking of sending one to my nephew in fact."

"How appropriate for a Turian."

"I'm sorry did you want to play with it? I could wrap it up for you. You know, save your suit from the sharp edges."

"Appreciated but I'm more then certain I could handle it just as well as you. Even in my suit."

He'd grunt again, this time amused. "I doubt that. Something of this caliber takes a level of experience I'm sure you just don't have."

Her stance would shift allowing him to see that she was either extremely amused, or very much the opposite. It was hard to tell. "Apparently I need to show you just want experience I have Vakarian."

"Your funeral."

Now turning away from him, Tali once more faced the elevator. Instead of meeting the steel doors he'd find herself face to face with Liara who looked mildly bewildered and flush in the cheeks. This would cause the Quarian to raise a brow - though no one could see it. "Is something wrong Liara?"

"No!" Was the abrupt response from the young Asari who began to fidget and glance about. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything I just-"

Now a bit confused Tali would give a slight shake to her head. "You didn't interrupt anything Liara. I was just waiting for the elevator."

"Waiting loudly!" Garrus added from around the corner

"No body asked you"

As they exchanged words Liara slowly leaned over to look around the corner. When she saw Garrus sitting there repairing a rifle the poor Asari went even more flush then previous. "It seems I've made a mistake. H-have a good day." With that she'd scuttle away, mumbling to herself about how she dare to let her mind wander.

Both dextro based life forms looked confused now - both unable in their haze to figure out what exactly had been Liara's issue.

"I was just waiting for the elevator..." Tali repeated to herself before proceeding to the mess hall.

Now alone Garrus continued to stare down the hallway at the space where his two female crew mates had just been standing. Slowly once or twice he went over the scenerio in his head trying to figure out just exactly what had happened. "Check the gun. She makes fun of my gun, tell her she can't handle the gun...my gun..."

Epiphone

"Ahhhgh." Garrus would duck his head and shake it profusely He was too tired for this. It didn't matter. Tali didn't seem to get it either and Liara apparently rectified the meaning in her own mind before she scuttled off. Though it left Garrus to wonder exactly why Liara's - of all peoples - mind had gone in that direction in the first place. This would cause his face to quirk. Maybe she wasn't so innocent after all.

Nearly devoted to refocusing on his task the Turian would once again find himself interrupted.

_"Hey Garrus, Message coming in for you."_

Though it was irrelevant, Garrus would glance up at the comm speaker relaying Joker's voice. Curious that he'd be getting a call. "For me? From who?"

"Being bounced to us from C-sec. They say it's from Palaven."

Immediately the Turian's mandibles would flare in aggrivation and tiny eyes would widen. This was certainly not what he needed, not right now. Nerves were already bound tight and fraying from lack of sleep and too much focus. Even though he looked cool on the outside he was burning out on the inside - after all. They had missed their last shore leave. Even so, the thought of hanging up never crossed his mind. Stubborn as always, he would not retreat. "Fine. Put it through to the mako terminal..."

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

"What...How can they eat this?"

Now in the mess hall Tali was looking through the food storage in both horror and wonder at what it held. Most of the rations were, of course, amino acid based and as Tali looked through them it made her feel a little more sophisticated. Packs of meat that looked as though they had been shaved off of a man's thigh sat in vaccum sealed wraps and became subject to her insistant poking. They were frozen yes, but she still had this eerie feeling that it was very much alive and could leap up an latch onto her mask at any moment. Further more she'd watched the cook prepare these 'steaks' for the Commander and before being seered in a pan it was covered in blood. The memory repulsed her a bit.

"How can they eat these things?" She was aware that the hunter instinct had been weened from the Quarians replacing it heavily would the gatherer side of the equation. But still the idea of eating such a thing appaled her more then she would have like. Certainly more then it should have for someone who'd grown accustomed to killing people.

She'd stop poking at it and continue on; the object having lost its facinating propertys when it began to surface memorys of those she'd killed.

After sifting through more rations and cursing as to where the cook might be, the Quarian eventually found the pre-sterilized food packs labeled 'Dextro'. It wasn't so much a pack as it was a cup that needed to be heated for 30 seconds before she could drink the contents through the pre-sterilized straw. She heated it and with a mild feeling of discontent pulled away the plastic wrapping and began to slurp up the nutritious gruel. While doing so she'd shudder. She was nearing the point where she'd do anything for a good meal. One that didn't require her to eat it through a straw. She reminded herself that if she were to ever do the crazy adventure thing again, to request a sterilized room.

The cup now empty, she'd throw it in the would glance at the frozen hunk of meat once more, now nearly forlorn in her mannerisms. "At least I bet that tastes like something..." Had she known any better she would have known that it wasn't steak but was in fact liver. And had she known what that tasted like, she very likely would have stuck to her gruel.

Daring not to sit down for fear of never standing up again, Tal'Zorah merely took a breath then made her way back to the godforsaken elevator. To her benefit it hadn't been called any where else leaving her to deal with its turtle like speed only once.

"Note to self: find the one that designed this thing and beat them with it..." A pause "Second note to self: re-program elevator when done with engines and primary ship systems." By the time the elevator actually arrived she was nearly sure she'd found a way to do it as well.

Onward once more through the firing line between the elevator and the engine room. Feeling less of a want to provoke Garrus she instead opted to let it pass this time. However she would be interrupted by a very gravelly shout edged by static.

_"What were you thinking?!"_

Far to curious to ignore this, Tali would turn her head to glance at the source of the aggitated voice. At first she thought it was Garrus but a look would tell her that he was focused on a vid screen hovering just above the computer for the Mako. Garrus' back obscured the image so at first Tali believed the image to possibly be Shepard. Perhaps the gruff Commander had caught onto the 'malfunction' that they had caused in the Normandy a time ago? Seemed like a strange time but the reprimand had been severe and who else would be shouting at Garrus? It certainly wasn't Wrex.

As he pondered, Garrus shifted. With unexplainable panic Tali ducked behind a wall and flattened herself against it. She needed to sleep more, there had been no reason for that. Why would it be so irrational for the person on the vid to see her?

Beyond the conversation continued.

_"What were you thinking?! Answer me Garrus!"_

"Oh you know...getting choked to death by C-sec's red tape just wasn't my thing. I like breathing and-"

_"That 'red tape' is what keeps the laws intact! It's what keeps us from becoming criminals ourselves!"_

"No it keeps us from catching the criminals ourselves!"

This was...not the conversation Tali had expected to be hearing. Then again, the man on the vid certainly wasn't Shepard. If the voice didn't give it away then the obvious praise for the rule book would have been. Who ever it was, it was tearing into Garrus quite vibrately, so much so that even Garrus had begun to raise his voice.

_"And you're working for a Spectre now!? Sickening! I thought I taught you better Garrus. Or did you just plug your ears as a child? Law and Order - society needs it! If you can't see that then you're as pathetic as those criminals you hunt!"_

Tali frowned. What century was this man from? If he had been able to see any of what any of them on the Normandy had seen then he'd know his spouting off was just that. She was only sixteen and even she could see that. Still whatever he spouted it now seemed to be affecting Garrus. He'd grown silent. She was unsure if that was because he was just that angry or if he was submitting...Or perhaps he'd just fallen asleep. That she doubted though. In any case this wasn't what he needed right now. Leave Tali as the last to care about the Turian but the fact was that they were far to close to the end game and whether she liked it or not, Garrus was too valuable to be taken out.

"Did I just use a human 'sports' metaphor?" She'd quirk to herself before setting to work. With omni-tool in hand she began some petty intervention. After all, she did like petty.

Now staring at the floor, Garrus would scratch at his frills. Emotionally he was somewhere between violently angry, defiant and too tired to deal with it. How did his father even get his where abouts? Some loud beak in C-sec no doubt. He'd have to remember to find that one and give him a good kick in gratitude. "Just stop..."

_"I'm telling you to stop! What kind of Turian disregards rules! What kind of Turian yells at a superior officer!?"_

Mandibles pressed tight to his face and began to vibrate - a good sign that the anger part of the emotional battle was beginning to win. There was no time for this and he sure as hell had no wait for it. Extremely aggitated now he'd look back to the vid screen. "For Spirit's sake father just -" Immediately after looking he'd just stare, half angry, half surprised at what he saw.

Before him his father was still yelping away. Talking about reality and duty, conscience and honour. He recited the Turian military decree and the C-sec oath to the citadel. Garrus didn't hear one bit of it. For as the older Turian continued to spew such very cliche Turian things and such very mean other things he was doing to with super imposed googly eyes and a human moustaches. A Hanar tenticle would flail about in place of his arm every now and then - the obviously cartoon texture not helping with the situation.

Garrus just blinked and slowly covered his face with one three fingered hand as he was at a complete loss with what to do with this situation. On one hand his father was screaming at him for being a terrible turian and a terrible son. On the other, he was doing so looking like a flailing sea monster with nicely trimmed facial hair.

Garrus tried to recover. "just calm down. There's no need for this -"

_"There is need for this!"_

Once again he looked up, bracing himself for the ridiculas image. Now his father wore a hat and had a little speak bubble dictating 'Bla bla bla For honour bla! I'm the back side of a varren respect me bla!'

At that moment Garrus hated life. Or really loved life - but only in that one particular moment.

The anger was gone. He was too damn tired to be angry and amused so he defaulted on amused and tried with all his might to not blatantly laugh at his rampaging father. Now the words in the bubble were replaced with the scrolling visage of the lyrics for the Palaven national Anthem. Garrus was done.

"hmm heh What's that? I'm losing the connection. I can't hear you , Father are you there?" He didn't have time to terminate the call, it was done for him.

Once more his hand would go to cover his face allowing him to compose himself from bitter laughter before he would stand tall again. "Do you enjoy eavesdropping?"

"It was a loud call Vakarian, it's not eavesdropping if the whole ship can hear."

He'd turn, only able to see a bit of her suit from behind the wall she now leaned on. "You could have left."

A Shrug. "You could have hung up. But let me guess. Never back down right?"

It was his turn to shrug. "Maybe a little. Mostly I want him to know that he's wrong."

"Yes. You took that verbal beating and you showed him.

Garrus gave a snort while he rotated his neck, a sign that he was indeed settling back down. "It's hard to fight back when your talking to googly eyed space monster."

Tali would offer the slightest of giggles, though it was a tired one. "With a moustache"

"Yes yes, with a moustache."

Giving a stretch Tali began towards the door for engineering for what seemed like the millionth time in the past little while. Just before she disappeared Garrus' voice would stop her.

"Even though you interrupted a personal call and probably found out more then you needed to about my home life. Thanks."

"Oh don't thnk me." She cooed in a manner that suddenly Garrus very wary of what she would say next. "I mixed some amino rations with your Turian ones. Look forward to dinner." With that, she'd be gone.

His mandibles would clack once in amused aggitation. "Great..."

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Hours later, now at the source of the elevator controls Tali would be muttering to herself. Her cause of concern wasn't so much the repair of the elevator systems but rather an unsolved mystery in her head. The mumbling continued until it grew in decible level to where it became less incoherant and more like a low whisper to herself.

"I was just waiting for the elevator...I don't see what's so weird. I came out of engineering...Vakarian's checking his gun, I make fun of his gun...He says I can't handle the gun...his gun."

Epiphone.

"Auggh Kee'lah!"

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

8D

Random inuenndo was idea one. Call with Garru's father was idea two. I can't remember if you ever get to see the call between him and his father but I know he gets one. Hopefully that wasn't so out of context. Other then Tali's intervention. Petty and all.

Anyway! hope you enjoyed reading it.! Please Read and Review! Have a good one!

Roan - OUT!


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